IAWN Steering Group member, Mrs Claudette Kigeme from Burundi, said, "I heard Dr Abuom speak inspirationally at the All Africa Conference of Churches, when she highlighted, as one of several major challenges, the importance of the church promoting gender justice at all levels, and standing by all who suffer , especially 'victims of human trafficking, packaged like commodities, sold as parts or pieces – taking place on our doorstep, like slavery.'"

The IAWN Steering Group strongly welcomes such vision, echoing the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC) Resolutions committing the Anglican Communion to equal representation of women and men in all decision-making bodies of the church, and to the eradication of all forms of human trafficking.

The members1 of the IAWN Steering Group send Dr Agnes Abuom their warmest congratulations, and assure her of their continuing prayers.

Notes to editors

1The members include:

Ann Skamp, Anglican Church of Australia, Co-ordinator

Elenor Lawrence, Church in the Province of the West Indies, Secretary

Elaine Cameron, Scottish Episcopal Church, Communications

Margaret Dempster, Anglican Church of Canada, Treasurer

Meenakshi Das, Church of North India

Pumla Titus, Anglican Church of Southern Africa

Claudette Kigeme, Anglican Church of Burundi

Kim Robey, The Episcopal Church

2IAWN, the International Anglican Women's Network, was formed in November 1996 to be the organisation through which the voices of Anglican women would be reported to the Anglican Consultative Council. It is one of the networks of the world wide Anglican Communion. Within official church structures, it reports to the Anglican Consultative Council. Its purpose is to enable and empower all women of the Anglican Communion to work cooperatively at national, provincial and communion-wide levels to strengthen the ministries of women in God’s world and to ensure women are influential and equal participants throughout the entire Anglican Communion.